Spiritual Development

Our goal for our students is greatness – but greatness as defined by Jesus: “If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all.” The goal of spiritual development is to help prepare our students to be great men and women in God’s kingdom. The intimate nature of our school community, the dedication of our teachers, and the commitment of our parents create and support a rich environment for the cultivation of great young men and women who are learning to be servants of all.

Spiritual development and formation permeate our school day. We recognize the vital role that “everyday events” play in developing fully-formed followers of Jesus. We season each subject that is taught with the view that all learning offers an added means to learn and grow as disciples of the One who made all things.

Because we believe that worship is central to spiritual formation, we come together each morning as a worshipping community at chapel. Our worship includes lively singing, prayer, teaching, and story-telling.

Daniel is an outstanding biblical example of Jesus’ teaching, “If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, become a servant.” Daniel was able to be fully in the world of ancient Babylon without becoming of that culture. As we have reflected on Daniel, our model for living as a servant of God, we distilled what we call our Six Words of Servanthood: Courage, Humility, Respect, Integrity, Seeker of God, and Teachability (see box at right for our definitions of these Words). These words have become one of the primary ways we teach our students what it means to be Christ-like, and they are integral to curriculum and behavior expectations.

Six Words of Servanthood

C

CourageTaking risks to do what is right.

H

HumilityLaying down my life in order to do things God’s way.

R

RespectRecognizing, honoring and protecting the God-given value of others.

I

IntegrityBeing faithful and true to God and His Word in all situations and circumstances.